Tiger maple is a type of wood that has dark-colored stripes embedded in the grain. These lines often resemble the stripes of a tiger. This type of lumber comes from the red maple tree, which is grown in Canada and the eastern United States. It is an uncommon variety of building material that is usually sold only in specialty lumber yards.
This type of wood is usually a light tan or beige color. The stripes can range from medium to dark brown, and can even appear black at times. The lines may run the entire length of the piece of wood or be only on one end. They can sometimes appear to be broken as well.
The thickness of the lines may also vary from one piece of lumber to the next. Some boards may have thick lines, while others have very thin, narrow stripes. The lines can be wavy, straight, or curved. This also varies widely, and some pieces may have both thick and thin markings.
Tiger maple is often used for making musical instruments, particularly violins and fiddles. It might also be used in making harps or guitars. It has earned the nickname fiddleback maple due, in part, to its role in the manufacture of fiddles and other stringed instruments.
This wood is also used for making a variety of furniture, such as dressers, headboards, medicine cabinets, and trunks. Tiger maple might also be used in making gun stocks, plaques, or cabinets. Often these items are custom-built for a particular individual from wood that is selected especially for this project.
A light coat of varnish or polyurethane can be added to a piece of tiger maple to give it shine and help protect it from the elements. Adding this product often makes both the stripes and the wood itself appear darker. A woodworker might want to paint a small scrap of lumber before adding a coat to the entire finished product, to get an idea of how the look of it might change.
Maple is generally a hard wood that is extremely durable. Tiger maple however, is somewhat less durable than that of regular maple wood that has a straight grain to it. It can also be somewhat more expensive and can even be difficult to find in some locations. For this reason, a builder may want to carefully consider the project being built before choosing this type of lumber.